Vise for typographical machines



Dec. 6, 193:;

A. H KELLEY, JR

VISE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec; 13, 1937 ALLIE H. KE

- INVENTOR ILE'Y, JR. BY

ATTORNEYS Dec. 6, 1938. H, KELLEY, JR 2,139,638

VISE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES Filed Dec. 13, 193'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR BY ALpm H. rcm m, .m;

ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VISE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL MACHINES Application December 13, 1937, Serial No. 179,523

13 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in typographical machines and more especially to those of the general class disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 436,532 granted September 16, 1890, wherein character bearing matrices are assembled from suitable magazines or storage receptacles into composed lines and the lines then clamped endwise between a pair of opposed confining jaws for presentation to a slotted mold in which the type bars or slugs are cast, after which the matrix lines are removed from between the jaws to permit the matrices to be returned to their proper places of storage.

In practice, machines of this class are called upon to produce type slugs of different lengths according to the width of the page or column to be printed therefrom. The mold slot in which the slugs are cast is accordingly made variable in length, and the line confining jaws, commonly known as vise jaws, between which the line is clamped endwise during the casting operation, are made correspondingly adjustable. Moreover, modern machines of this class are frequently equipped with devices arranged for cou pling one or both jaws for automatic movement of either or both jaws from their open or line receiving position in order to quad or center lines of less length than the length of the mold slot in front of which they are presented, an example of such devices being disclosed in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,970,527 granted August 14, 1934.

In machines of this class, as well known, both vise jaws are freely slidable in the so-called vise of the machine, and the right hand jaw normally occupies a fixed open or line receiving position where its outer end banks against a stationary stop. The left hand jaw, however, according to the usual construction of machines of this class, banks at its outer end against a stop or block which is independent of the jaw and is adjustable in order to fix the initial operative position of this jaw to correspond with the line measure or length of slug it is desired to cast, and a looking device is provided to retain such stop at the selected line measure setting. When the left hand jaw stop is unlocked and adjusted inwardly, as when reducing the normal opening between the two jaws, the left hand jaw moves inwardly with the stop. However, when the stop is adjusted outwardly to increase the normal space or opening between the jaws to accommodate a longer matrix line between them, the left hand jaw does not move outwardly with such stop but instead remains standing at the shorter line measure position and must be pushed back manually against the stop before a longer line can be introduced between the jaws.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple and effective construction which will avoid the necessity for such manual operation and which at the same time will be adaptable to machines equipped for quadding and centering movement of the vise jaws away from their stops. The invention accordingly provides means for connecting the left hand vise jaw to its adjustable stop in such a manner that both of these parts remain in intimate contact and move as a single unit when the stop is ad= justed in either direction, that is, toward the right hand jaw as for decreasing, or away from the right hand jaw for increasing the distance between the jaws. Such connecting means however, according to the present invention, is of such a nature that the left hand jaw will instantly and automatically become released from its stop whenever this jaw is used for quadding or centering a line, and will become reconnected to the stop upon being returned, as by the quadding mechanism, to normal or open position against the stop.

More particularly, the invention provides a connection between the left hand vise jaw and its adjustable stop which is operable or inoperable whenever required, so that this jaw, while normally retained against its stop for movement as a unit therewith in either direction for adjusting purposes, is free to move independently of its stop for quadding or centering purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide means actuated by the jaw adjusting devices and operative to temporarily or momentarily break or disconnect the coupling between the left hand jaw and such devices as may be present in the machine for imparting quadding or centering movement of such jaw.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations and arrangements of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the features of novelty being pointed out more particularly in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the usual vise of a machine of the class hereinbefore referred to, showing the vise jaws and other associated parts and portions of a quadding device and certain of the devices provided according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the structure shown in Fig.- 1 as viewed from the left hand end thereof;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the left hand portion of the structure shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 2 but shows the parts in a different operative position in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the left hand portion of Fig. l, with portions broken away to show details of the mechanism for adjusting the left hand vise jaw and its stop and of the coupling device for effecting quadding or centering movement of this jaw;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 66 in Fig. 1 and showing the connection provided by the present invention between the left hand vise jaw and its adjustable stop; and

Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the right hand end of the vise shown in Fig. 1.

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in the several figures.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the present instance as applied to a line casting machine of the general class hereinbefore referred to, but it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise construction shown since equivalent constructions are contemplated and such will be included within the scope of the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, I represents the usual so-called vise in which right hand and left hand vise jaws 2 and 3 respectively are supported on suitable blocks or plates 4 and 5, the latter being freely slidable in a longitudinal channel I in the vise. The right hand jaw 2 is shown in Fig. 1 in the normal or constant line receiving position it occupies regardless of the length of the matrix lines from which the casts are being made, this jaw when in such position banking against the usual fixed stop. The left hand jaw 3, as usual, may be set in different desired line measure positions, it ordinarily banking for such purpose against an adjustable stop. The construction and mode of operation of such stop may be varied to suit different conditions, but the stop shown in the present instance is substantially the same as that shown and described fully in U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,108,758 granted August 25, 1914, to which reference may be had for a detailed disclosure thereof. For the purpose of the present invention, such stop may be described briefly as comprising a rotatable adjusting knob 5 fixed to a shaft 1, the latter being journalled in the vise to rotate and also slide forwardly and rearwardly therein, and the inner end of this shaft has a pinion 8 fixed thereon which is rotatable with the knob E and shaft 1. A sleeve 9 is fitted in the vise and in this sleeve is mounted a bar I 0 which is slidable longitudinally in a bearing II in the vise, the bar I0 having teeth I2 on its underside which cooperates with the pinion 8 and having serrations I3 along its forward side to cooperate with a locking slide M, the latter being reciprocable forwardly and rearwardly in the vise, with the knob 6, as in said Patent No. 1,108,758, but cooperating with the knob to effect such sliding movement in a somewhat different manner, as will hereinafter appear. The left hand jaw stop I5 is secured to the inner end of the bar I 0, this stop cooperating with a lug or abutment I6 which is fixed to the underside of the block or plate 5 supporting the left hand law 3.

Ordinarily, in machines having an adjustable stop such as'that shown in Patent No. 1,108,758,

the lug l6 merely banks against the jaw stop I5 to determine the line measure setting of the left hand jaw 3. Upon release of the locking slide I4 from the bar I0 and subsequent rotation of the adjusting knob 6 in a clockwise direction, the jaw 3 will be influenced by the resulting inward movement of the stop I5 toward the right and against the lug l6 and will be thus moved to the right in Fig. 6. If, however, the stop I 5 is moved outwardly or toward the left in that figure, as by anti-clockwise rotation of the adjusting knob 6, it will be obvious that, in the absence of a connection between the lug I6 and the stop I5, the jaw 3 would not move outwardly with the stop, thus requiring manual sliding of the adjustable or left hand jaw 3 outwardly to bring the lug I8 thereon against the stop in its newly adjusted position.

The present invention overcomes the necessity for such manual sliding of the left hand vise jaw when it stops is adjusted outwardly as for wider or longer line measures. The invention accordingly provides between the left hand jaw 3 or suitable parts associated therewith and the adjustable stop I5 a connection which enables the jaw and its stop to move as a unit when adjustments are made in either direction inwardly or outwardly and is also capable of permitting the jaw instantly and automatically to become released from its stop and to move inwardly independently of the stop for quadding or centering purposes and to reconnect with the stop each time it is returned to open position by the quadding or centering mechanism.

Preferably and as shown in the present instance, this connection comprises a depression I! provided in a part associated with the adjustable jaw 3, it being preferably provided in the underside of the supporting block 5 thereof as shown in Fig. 6, and a ball I8 located and confined in a vertical bore I9 in the stop I 5 near its inner end, the ball being adapted to protrude slightly beyond the upper surface of the stop and being pressed upwardly by a spring 20 which is retained in the bore I9 by a screw 2 I. The ball I8 and depression I! are so located that they will register when the lug l6 abuts against the stop I5, the depression I! providing a seat to receive the ball and in which the ball will be retained yieldingly by the spring 20.

The depression ll and ball I 8 thus constitute means for connecting the left hand or adjustable jaw 3 to its stop in such a manner that this jaw and its stop will move as a unit when the stop is adjusted in either direction, inwardly or outwardly. Moreover, since the ball is pressed yieldingly into the depression, the connection between the adjustable jaw and its stop will readily release if the jaw is urged inwardly while the locking slide I4' is engaged, as it normally is, with the bar I0. Such release of the connection between the adjustable or left hand jaw and its stop will occur when the left hand jaw is coupled to and actuated by quadding or centering mechanism such for example as that shown in the accompanying drawings and described in detail in Patent No. 1,970,527 hereinbefore referred to.

Such quadding or centering mechanism, insofar as it concerns the present invention, may be described briefly as comprising a rack bar 22 releasably connected, as disclosed for example in Patent No. 1,970,527, to the right hand jaw 2, a similar rack bar 23 rigidly connected to the left hand jaw 3, a pinion 24 on a vertically reciprocable spindle 25 and movable into and out of mesh with the rack bars 22 and 23 to couple and uncouple them, and a poweroperatedjaw closing lever 26 connected by a link 21 to-the-rack bar 22 and operative as disclose'din said'patent. A control knob or handle 28 is also provided' whic'h is fixed to one end of a rock shaft 29 mounted in the vise and extending across'the same, the shaft 29 having means for connecting it tothe pinion shaft 25 so that by setting the knob or handle 28 to the desired position, one or both of the vise jaws will be so coupled to th'e'jaw'closing lever 28 as to be moved inwardly away from the respective stops which determine their full line measure positions. As shown for example, a crank arm 33 is fixed to the shaft 29 and has astud 3i fixed to and projecting from a side thereof, and a stud 32 which is fixed on-the housing 33 for the pinion shaft or spindle 25 pivotally supports a lever 34. One end of this lever has a pin 35 fixed thereto to project-laterally therefrom-into a circumferential groove in the pinion shaft 25, and the other end of the lever 34*isprovidedwith a cam surface 36 which is engageable bythe stud 3! on the arm 39. The purpose of this mechanism is to raise and lower the pinion to couple the left hand jaw 3 to the quadding mechanism for quadding or centering movement thereby and to uncouple this jaw from the quadding mechanism. When the pinion is lowered into mesh with both rack bars 22 and 23, as shown in Fig. 6, corresponding with the position of the parts shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the vise jaws 2 and 3 connected to the respective rack bars will move simultaneously and equidistantly, one toward the other, to effect a matrix line centering operation when the quadding or centering mechanism operates, the lever 26 being operated at the proper time and acting on the rack bar 22 to move the latter and the right hand jaw 2' toward the-left and to rotate the pinion 24' and thereby move the rack bar and the left hand jaw 3- toward the right. While the pinion 24 is in raised position, at which t'ime the parts occupythe position shown in Fig. 4, the lever 26, when actuated, will act on the rack bar 22 to move the right hand jaw only, thus performing a flush left quadding operation. While the pinion as is in its lowered position in mesh with both rack bars 22 and 23 and the rack bar 22 is detached from the right hand jaw 2, as by the releasing device disclosed in Patent No. 1,970.52'7, the bar 22, upon actuation of the lever 2%, will move to the left without moving the right hand jaw 2 with it but the pinion 2 4 meshing with the rack bar 22 will be rotated and will move the rack bar 23 to the right, so that the left handjaw 3 alone will be moved to perform a flush right quadding operation. The different positions of the knob or handle 28 for thus controlling these operations of the quadding or centering mechanism are indicated on the dial I28 in Fig. '7.

Since the rack bar 23 is rigidly secured to the left hand jaw 3 or its associated support 5, this jaw cannot be adjusted to different initial positions except while the pinion 24 is disengaged from the rack bar 23. The present invention accordingly provides means for temporarily or momentarily uncoupling the left hand jaw and the quadding or centering mechanism, and such means is preferably actuated automatically by the left hand jaw adjusting means. In the embodiment of the invention herein shown, means is provided which is actuated by the left hand jaw adjusting means and is operative to temporarily or momentarily break any coupling that may exist between the pinion 24 and the left hand vise jaw, thus freeing this jaw for adjusting pmposes and to subsequently recouple this jaw to the pinion 2'4 'for quadding or centering purposes. The means provided for this purpose, as shown in the present-instance, comprises a lever 31 which is fulcru'rned'ona stud 38 fixed in a bearing block 39, the latter being fixed on the vise, the lever 31 carrying toward its lower end a pin 40 which projects laterally therefrom and overlies the flange 6 of the left hand jaw adjusting knob 6. The lever 31 extends upwardly from its fulcrum 38 asshown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, and its upper end is located to contact with a pin 4| which is fixed to and projects laterally from the crank arm 30. Aspring 42 is attached to the lower end of the lever 37, the other end of this spring being attached to a suitable part of the vise. This spring acts to retain the pin Ml near the lower end of the lever 31 against the flange 6 and, acting through this flange and the shaft 1, to retain the locking slide I4 and the knob 6 in their inner or rear position with the slide M in looking engagement with the bar In.

With this arrangement, by pulling the jaw adjusting knob E5 forwardly, its flange 6 engaging the pin 453, will rock the lever 31 about its fulcrum 33'. Should the crank arm 30 at this time occupy the position shown in Fig. 2 in which position the pinion 24 is engaged with the rack bar 23connected to the left hand jaw 3 and the latter therefore coupled to the pinion for quadding or centering purposes, such rocking motion of the lever 31 will bring its upper end into contact with the pin H on the crank arm 30 and will thereby swing the latter and the shaft 29 about the latter as an axis. The stud 3| on the crank arm 32 will be thereby moved through an arc which intersects the projection 33 on the cam surface 36 on the lever 34, thus rocking the latter which in turn, through the pin 35 thereon, will raise the spindle 25, the parts being thereby brought into the position shown in Fig. 4. The

pinion 24 will then be uncoupled from the rack bar 23 and the jaw 3 and while the knob 6 is held forwardly against the tension of the spring 42, the left hand jaw 3 and its stop l5 may be adjusted along the vise in either direction inwardly or outwardly by rotation of the knob 6. Upon completion of such adjustment, the spring 42' will return the knob 6 inwardly when released by the operator, and at the same time said spring will rock the lever 31 in a direction to swing its upper end back to the position shown in Fig. 2, the arm 3i however remaining in the position shown in Fig. 4 by the cam surface 36 until the control knob or handle 23 is again rotated to the center posit on if desired for centering or to flush right position if quadding with the left hand jaw only is desired, it being noted that the cam surface 36 on the lever 34 is of such shape as to cause the pinion 24 to occupy its lowered position in coupled relation with the rack bar 23 when the control knob or handle 28 occupies either the center position for centering matrix lines or its flush right position for quadding with the left hand jaw only, and when the control knob or handle 28 is set in the flush left position the pinion 24 will be in its raisedposition and uncoupled from the rack bar 23 for quadding with the right hand jaw only.

Means is provided for retaining the locking slide M in looking relation with the bar iii until the pinion 24 is fully raised and uncoupled from the rack bar 23. For this purpose, the locking slide I4 is provided with a forwardly extending hook-like extension M which extends around the lower portion of the lever 31, this extension having opposed surfaces 43 and 44 thereon between which the lever 31 operates with a clearance. This clearance permits the lever 31 to be rocked forwardly sufiiciently by forward movement of the knob 6 to uncouple the pinion 24 from the rack bar 23 before the locking slide 14 is retracted from the bar I 0 to unlock it, which occurs when the lever 31 contacts with the surface 43 on the extension I 4 When the lever 31 is rocked in the opposite direction under the action of the spring 42, it contacts with the other surface 44 on the extension M and thereby returns the locking slide 14 to locking position.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a typographical machine having a matrix line confining jaw provided with means for adjusting it inwardly for lines of different lengths, and means for moving such jaw inwardly away from the adjusting means for quadding or centering lines, means for connecting said jaw to its adjusting means for movement outwardly therewith, said connecting means being releasable upon actuation of the jaw by the quadding and centering means.

2. In a typographical machine having a matrix line confining jaw, adjusting means operable at will to move said jaw inwardly to different line receiving positions, and quadding means operative to move such jaw inwardly from its line .receiving position, means operative to connect said jaw to said adjusting means to move said jaw outwardly thereby and to disconnect said jaw from said adjusting means when the jaw is operated by the quadding means.

3. In a typographical machine having a matrix line confining jaw, adjusting means operable at will to move said jaw inwardly and set it at different line receiving positions, and quadding means operative to move such jaw inwardly away from the adjusting means, a yieldable connection between said jaw and adjusting means operable to retain the latter and said jaw in connected relation for simultaneous outward movement but permitting inward movement of the jaw alone under the influence of said quadding means.

4. In a typographical machine having a movable matrix line confining jaw, adjusting means operable at will to set said jaw to confine lines of different lengths, and quadding means having means for connecting it to said jaw to move it into different positions for quadding or centering lines, means for connecting said jaw to said adjusting means for movement thereby and also independently thereof, and means operative automatically by the operation of the adjusting means for disconnecting said jaw from the quadding means.

5. In a typographical machine having a movable matrix line confining jaw, adjusting means operable at will to set said jaw to confine lines of different lengths, releasable means for holding said adjusting means in different adjusted positions, quadding means, and a connection for coupling and uncoupling the quadding means with respect to said jaw, means for connecting said jaw to said adjusting means for adjustment thereby and for movement by the quadding means independently thereof, and means operative when said holding means is released touncouple said jaw from the quadding means.

6. In a typographical machine having a movable matrix line confining jaw, adjusting means operable at will to set said jaw to confine lines of different lengths, means releasable by said adjusting means and adapted to hold the latter in different set positions, quadding means, and a connection for coupling and uncoupling the quadding means with respect to said jaw, means connecting said jaw to said adjusting means for adjustment thereby and also permitting independent movement thereof, and means operative to uncouple said jaw from the quadding means when said holding means is released.

'7. In a typographical machine having a movable matrix line confining jaw, adjusting means operable at will to set said jaw to confine lines of different lengths, means for releasably holding the adjusting means in different adjusted positions corresponding with different set positions of said jaw, quadding means, and a connection for coupling and uncoupling the quadding means with respect to said jaw, means yieldably connecting said jaw to said adjusting means for movement inwardly and outwardly thereby and permitting independent inward movement thereof, and means operative to uncouple said jaw from the quadding means when said holding means is released.

8. In a typographical machine having a movable matrix line confining jaw, adjusting means operable to set said jaw in different positions to confine lines of different lengths, means releasable by said adjusting means and adapted to hold the latter in different adjustments for different set positions of the jaw, quadding means, and a connection for coupling said quadding means to and uncoupling it from said jaw, means normally retaining said jaw connected to said adjusting means for concurrent adjustment inwardly and outwardly therewith and also permitting independent movement of said jaw by the quadding means, and means actuated upon the release of said holding means for automatically uncoupling said jaw from the quadding means.

9. In a typographical machine having a movable matrix line confining jaw, adjusting means operable to set said jaw in different positions to confine lines of different lengths, means releasable by said adjusting means and adapted to hold the latter in different adjustments for different set positions of the jaw, quadding means, and a connection for coupling said quadding means to and uncoupling it from said jaw, means for connecting said jaw to said adjusting means for adjustment as a unit therewith and also permitting independentmovement of said jaw, and means actuated by the movement of said holding means for uncoupling said jaw from the quadding means after said holding means has been released and for coupling said jaw to the quadding means when Elie holding means is restored to holding condiion.

10. In a typographical machine having a movable matrix line confining jaw having a rack bar connected thereto, adjusting means operable manually to set said jaw in different positions to confine lines of different line measures, a locking member releasable by operation of said adjusting means and adapted to hold the latter in different adjustments for different set positions of said jaw, quadding means, and a pinion operable by the quadding means and movable into and out of engagement with said rack bar, means normally retaining said jaw connected to said ad justing means for adjustment concurrently therewith but releasable to permit movement of said jaw by the quadding means independently of the adjusting means, and a connection between said locking member and pinion operative to automatically disengage the latter from said rack bar prior to release of said locking member.

11. In a typographical machine having a matrix line confining jaw, and a stop adjustable at will and operable to move said jaw inwardly and to set it at different line receiving positions, a ball and socket connection between said stop and jaw operable to connect them for movement of the jaw inwardly and outwardly as a unit with said stop and yieldable to permit inward movement of the jaw independently of the stop.

12. In or for a typographical machine having a line confining jaw, jaw adjusting means and quadding means for operating the jaw independently of said adjusting means, and means operative normally to retain the jaw and adjusting means in connected relation for simultaneous movement inwardly and outwardly as a unit but to permit independent inward and outward movement of the jaw by the quadding means.

13. In a typographical machine having a matrix line confining jaw, manually operable adjusting means therefor and quadding means for actuating the jaw to move it inwardly and outwardly relative to said adjusting means, connecting means between said jaw and adjusting means adapted to enable movement of the jaw in either of two directions by the adjusting means but selfreleasing to permit independent movement of the jaw when the latter is actuated by the quadding means.

ALLIE HORACE KELLEY, JR. 

